10.2-inch iPad hits Apple Store shelves

The quickest way to get the new 10.2-inch iPad is to go to an Apple retail store today. Photo: Apple

The latest iPad just made its appearance in Apple retail locations. Those eager to get their hands on the first 10.2-inch budget tablet with iPadOS can hurry to the nearest store to pick one up now.

This is currently a quicker option than ordering the seventh-generation iPad for home shipment.

An ordering paradox

Apple is continuing its long-held practice of putting its latest devices in its retail locations even if they are sold out for delivery. A 2019 iPad ordered today on Apple.com ships between “Oct 9 – Oct 11.” But this tablet can be found in many brick-and-mortar Apple Stores right now.

That said, those purchasing this device should probably still go to Apple.com to place an order, but request store pickup. That will not just reserve a unit so they don’t sell out, but also show the Apple Store locations that have this product in stock.

Anyone who pre-ordered the seventh-generation iPad shortly after it was announced on Sept. 10 should expect to receive their shipment soon.

More about the 10.2-inch iPad

Apple’s latest tablet marks a move to a 10.2-inch display in the company’s low-end devices. It replaces the last 9.7-inch version, a screen size used since the original iPad in 2010.

The new screen has a 2160-by-1620-pixel resolution at 264 pixels per inch (ppi). That’s a higher resolution than the smaller display in the previous model so PPI doesn’t change.

At the heart of the 10.2-inch iPad is a dual-core 2.32 GHz Apple A10 Fusion processor — an older chip as it was also in last year’s 9.7-inch iPad. Still, there’s 3GB of RAM, an improvement over its predecessor.